


old friends

by brandywine421



Series: Unfinished AUs of Flail (aka fail) [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:52:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5405426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He checked the locks and the camera feed Natasha had rigged up when he was dragging (literally dragging because Cap was a big dude) his friend into the house.  Everything looked secure and he turned, almost giddy about the idea of sleep at this point.</p>
<p>The tap on the door shocked him into pulling a gun and he wondered how long it would be until he could relax.  He shouldn't have complained about civilian life but he kept to the shadows and peeked through the door.  Goddamn.  He hadn't seen Barton in years but he'd never forget those arms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Part of a collection of abandoned, but not unloved, fics I will never finish.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	old friends

Sam felt like he hadn't slept in days but for once, it wasn't because of his nightmares.  He expected to have new nightmares soon (he still felt the yank and slam when The Soldier ripped his wings off) but for tonight, Captain America was alive and millions of people would live to see morning.  
  
He figured he'd be down for the count as soon as he hit the bed, satisfied that the AMA Captain was secure in his guest room and the hot redhead that could probably snip his balls with a stray glare was curled up on the loveseat in the guest room.  (Sam knew she'd be curled up in Cap's bed when she was satisfied he was secure but Sam wasn't going to mess with whatever dance they were doing.)  
  
He checked the locks and the camera feed Natasha had rigged up when he was dragging (literally dragging because Cap was a big dude) his friend into the house.  Everything looked secure and he turned, almost giddy about the idea of sleep at this point.  
  
The tap on the door shocked him into pulling a gun and he wondered how long it would be until he could relax.  He shouldn't have complained about civilian life but he kept to the shadows and peeked through the door.  Goddamn.  He hadn't seen Barton in years but he'd never forget those arms.  
  
He checked the cameras again before unlocking the first of the deadbolts.  Clint was inside before he opened the chain, sliding through the impossibly small crack.  
  
"Not really a good time, Barton," he said.  Then he saw the SHIELD symbol on his vest and raised his gun.  
  
"What the fuck, you're going to shoot at me, too?" Clint hissed, raising his own bow.  "I need a place to hide, asshole, everything...what happened to you?"  
  
Sam did look like shit but he had to hold steady.  He trusted Barton with his life but in his defense, he'd never known he was SHIELD.  "Had a shitty couple of days.  A lot of your guys were shooting at us."  
  
"Us?  And a lot of 'my guys' were shooting at me.  I know you won't understand but somehow, this fucked up terrorist group infiltrated SHIELD..."  
  
"Killed Nick Fury and tried to blow up the world?" Sam questioned.  
  
Clint lowered his bow.  "How the fuck would you know that?"  His eyes flicked around the dim apartment.  Saw the stockpile of guns on the table and the shredded Kevlar on the floor by the door.  And a distinctive shield still caked with mud.  "Sam.  Why do you have Captain America's shield?"  
  
The click of a gun caught their attention and Clint raised his bow again as Natasha stepped into the room.  
  
"Fuck.  How did you find us?" Natasha whispered before dropping the gun with a thunk and embracing Barton tightly.  
  
"I wasn't looking for you, I didn't trust any of the safehouses - Sitwell was HYDRA and Fury..." Clint whispered.  
  
"You know Sam?" she asked after a beat.  
  
"We served together, a long time ago," Clint answered. "I trust him."  
  
"Me, too."  She turned to Sam.  "He's still out cold, is the house..."  
  
"Secure," Sam and Clint said together.  
  
"Tomorrow. We earned sleep," Natasha said absently, only wavering a step before disappearing into the back.  
  
"We really, really did," Sam sighed. "I'm going to crash."  
  
"I'm sleeping with my bow," Clint said.  
  
"I don't think I'll wake up even if it's poking me in the back tonight."  
  
"I didn't know you were with SHIELD now," Sam mumbled when he'd finally reached the oasis of his bed.  
  
"I didn't know that you knew what SHIELD was," Clint replied. Sam could hear him frown. "Did you see a doctor?"  
  
"Briefly. Cap's pretty busted up but we needed to get the hell out of the hospital stat," Sam said as his eyes closed. "We'll talk tomorrow. I'm out of milk."  
  
Clint snorted but Sam was too tired to follow up. Tomorrow.  
  
\-- ---  
  
"I think Cap's raiding your fridge. There probably won't be anything left," Clint said when Sam finally blinked awake. Clint had relocated the laptop with the security feeds and was sitting on the edge of his dresser picking his nails with a knife.  
  
"I need to reevaluate my choice in friends."  
  
Clint shrugged. "Seems like you've got pretty good instincts to me if you know Steve.  How do you know Steve?  Why are you mixed up in this, Sammy?"  
  
He mimicked Clint and shrugged.  "Why not? Nothing better to do.  Well, at least when you're not around."  He held his friend's gaze.  "You told me that wasn't you in New York."  
  
"If you know about SHIELD, the non-HYDRA side, you know why I lied," Clint replied.  
  
"Yeah, that Fury guy is a cold son of a bitch," Sam muttered.  
  
"Fury's dead."  
  
Sam winced.  
  
"I always said you'd be a shitty spy," Clint snorted but he visibly relaxed.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you were in New York?  I thought we were better friends than that."  
  
Clint studied the laptop without looking at him. "It wasn't like that. I...you didn't see the prelude, you just got the news blurbs. Not only was it classified, but I haven't been firing on all cylinders since."  
  
Sam waited.  
  
"You're one of the few friends I have outside of my job, I liked having someone to myself, okay?"  
  
"I know that, man, but even when we aren't getting frisky, you used to talk to me. If New York was anything like my last couple of days, you could've used someone to talk to," Sam said.  
  
"I talked to the shrinks. Fuck, they could be HYDRA...do we have a list or - " Clint's head snapped to him.  
  
"I'm just involved because of Steve, I don't know any of the details. Right now, all I know is that yesterday I helped Captain America save the world and didn't die," Sam replied.  
  
"I watched some of the footage when I was on watch last night..."  
  
"You took watch?" Sam asked.  
  
Clint rolled his eyes. "Someone had to, asshole." He hopped off the dresser and sat down heavily on the bed. "It wasn't your fight."  
  
Sam absently laced their fingers together. "I don't think any of my tours were my fight when you break it down. I'm pretty sure Cap's on the right side so I'm going to follow his lead if he can get his shit together."  
  
"Is your shit together?"  
  
"Like you said, it wasn't my fight," Sam said. Clint leaned down and kissed his raw knuckles.  
  
"We'll have time to get frisky later. We need to regroup and find somewhere safe. It's only a matter of time before HYDRA sniffs out who you are and find this place," Clint said.  
  
"It's in my ex-girlfriend's grand-dad's name so maybe we can have coffee first," Sam said.  
  
\----------  
  
Steve was slumped over his kitchen table with his shirt bunched around his neck.  
  
Sam had seen the damage at the hospital when the wounds were still gaping and leaking blood but the raw stitches and staples were almost harsher in the daylight.  Clint bit back a gasp.  
  
"You're out of milk," Steve said, looking over at him.  His eyes flashed when he saw Clint.  Sam stiffened but Steve's split lips turned up in a smile.  "You made it, Barton."  
  
"Late to the party apparently."  
  
"You're not going to accuse him of being Hydra?" Sam asked.  
  
Steve shrugged and winced. "Natasha told me he was on watch. She went out for milk and intel.  And bandages.  I don't remember."  
  
"You want to fill me in, Cap?  Maybe the part where you let some nutcase throw you out of the sky?"  
  
"It wasn't like that. Maybe it was. I don't know.  I couldn't kill him. I can't. He's my friend," Steve muttered.  
  
Sam and Clint glanced at each other.  
  
"Sorry," Steve said suddenly.  "Nat says I'm in shock but I think I'm hungry.  There are so many bigger things to deal with right now."  
  
"Winter Soldier-assassin guy was Steve's bff in the army," Sam told Clint.  
  
Clint sat down heavily. "Damn, Cap. How'd that happen?"  
  
"HYDRA. They kept him on ice between brainwashing sessions. I can't...I can't wrap my head around it. He didn't know me, he looked me in the eyes and there was nothing. But I still couldn't kill him."  
  
Clint shifted uncomfortably and glanced at Sam but he busied himself with a fresh pot of coffee. Clint wasn't the first choice for heart to hearts but it was interesting he was trying. Steve seemed to have an effect on everyone he met, well, the ones not tasked to kill him anyway.  
  
"I can't fault you for that, Cap, you know I can't. But letting him kill you won't bring him back."  
  
Sam watched from the corner of his eye as Steve slumped even further, leaning his head against his arm on the table. "He pulled me out of the water."  
  
"He put you in the water," Sam interjected.  
  
"Nat would have found a way to get you back. I need to find a way to get him back," Steve whispered to Clint.  
  
There were obviously things that Sam needed to know about New York.  
  
"Hey.  You fucked up his handlers, that buys us time," Clint said. "I hate to say it, but we need Captain Rogers right now. You don't get to be Steve yet," Clint said.  
  
"Clint," Sam said sharply.  
  
"No, he's right," Steve spoke up, visibly steadying himself.  "The battle's not over, we started a war and we have to act like it. I haven't had time to check what Natasha leaked onto the web but I'm going to assume all your safehouses are compromised and we need to scramble. If Sitwell was HYDRA then..."  
  
"Anyone could be," Clint replied, somber.  
  
"I need a burner phone and we need more weapons. Sam, I'm sorry, but you're in this."  
  
Sam nodded. "I knew that already." But this was getting heavy fast.  
  
Steve levered himself to his feet and left to shower before Clint turned to him. "For the record, I don't get to be Clint right now either."  
  
\----------  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Aw, Sam/Clint is cool, right?


End file.
